What does 大 mean in Chinese?

大 (dà) means "big; huge; large; major; great; wide; deep; older (than); oldest; eldest; greatly; very much; (dialect) father; father's elder or younger brother" in Chinese. The new HSK exam tests it at HSK 1.

How do you pronounce 大?

大 is pronounced "dà" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 4.

What HSK level is 大?

大 is an HSK 1 word on the new HSK exam syllabus. It is HSK 1 on both the old and the new exam.

What words contain the character 大?

Common words with 大 include 不大 (not very), 一大早 (at dawn), 不大离 (pretty close), 一大早儿 (erhua variant of 一大早[yi1 da4 zao3]), 三官大帝 (the three gods in charge of heaven, earth and water (Daoism)).

How do you write 大?

大 has 3 strokes. Its radical is 大. You can view the stroke order animation on our stroke order tool.

大 (dà), big

大

dà

big; huge; large; major

HSK 13 strokes

Character Breakdown

A person stretching arms wide — big

Radical: 大 (no. 37)Strokes: 3

View stroke order →

Definitions

big
huge
large
major
great
wide
deep
older (than)
oldest
eldest
greatly
very much
(dialect) father
father's elder or younger brother

Example Sentences

这个房子很大。

Zhège fángzi hěn dà

This house is very big

Words Containing 大

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
不大	bù dà	not very
一大早	yī dà zǎo	at dawn
不大离	bù dà lí	pretty close
一大早儿	yī dà zǎo r	erhua variant of 一大早[yi1 da4 zao3]
三官大帝	sān guān dà dì	the three gods in charge of heaven, earth and water (Daoism)

Related Words

不咋地(bù zǎ de)· (dialect) not that great

→

叔公(shū gōng)· great uncle

→

伯父(bó fù)· father's elder brother

→

六亲(liù qīn)· six close relatives, namely: father 父[fu4], mother 母[mu3], older brothers 兄[xiong1], younger brothers 弟[di4], wife 妻[qi1], male children 子[zi3]

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Grammar Notes

Comparison with 比HSK 2

A 比 B + Adjective (+ Specific Amount)

More and More (越来越)HSK 2

Subject + 越来越 + Adjective/Verb + 了

Same As (跟...一样)HSK 2

A 跟/和 B 一样 (+ Adjective)

From...To (从...到)HSK 2

从 + Starting Point + 到 + Ending Point

Double 不 for EmphasisHSK 2

不 A 不 B OR 不...不 + Verb

Appears in these articles

HSK levels

New HSK exam: HSK 1
HSK 2.0: HSK 1
HSK Lord study list: HSK 1 list

大: HSK 1 on both the old and the new exam. See where your old level lands

New exam levels follow the CLEC syllabus released 15 November 2025. The first official sitting is announced for 13 December 2026. HSK 7-9 is one advanced band.

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 大 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 1 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.